If you’ve been alive for the past year with your eyes open, you’ve seen it: violence, hate crimes, assassinations. Sometimes the details are so graphic you wish you hadn’t seen them. And when those tragedies strike, the question lingers: What do we do with it?
In internet culture, people talk about being “pilled.” It’s shorthand for how we see the world:
- Blue-pilled: choosing only the comforting view, the Disney version of life.
- Red-pilled: waking up to hard truths.
- Black-pilled: sinking into hopelessness, believing all is lost.
- White-pilled: holding on to hope, even in the darkest times.
That last one may not be biblical language, but it points us toward a biblical truth. As Christians, we’re not called to live in denial, anger, or despair. We are called to live with hope. Romans 12 gives us God’s way of responding when tragedy strikes.
1. Every Life Matters to God
Paul writes, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men” (Romans 12:17). When violence happens, the world rushes to divide: your group vs. my group, your tragedy vs. mine. Sometimes the response is, “Well, you didn’t care when my people suffered.” That isn’t empathy…it’s division.
But God doesn’t divide human lives into categories. Every person is made in His image (Genesis 1:27). Every soul is loved (John 3:16). In Christ, Paul reminds us, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one” (Galatians 3:28).
When an innocent person dies by violence, it is a tragedy…whether they were young or old, rich or poor, left or right. Each life matters to God. And it should matter to us too. This means we must resist the temptation to downplay, dismiss, or politicize certain tragedies while highlighting others. Every loss is a wound to humanity, and every soul is precious to God.
2. Anger Cannot Achieve God’s Righteousness
It’s natural to feel anger when we witness injustice. But James warns us, “The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).
The world often slips into black-pill thinking:
- “Love won’t change anything.”
- “If they mock our dead, we’ll mock theirs.”
- “The only answer to violence is more violence.”
But that’s not God’s way. Paul writes, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18). “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God” (v. 19).
That doesn’t mean we never feel anger. It means we don’t let anger control us. God’s justice is perfect. Ours is flawed. If we take vengeance into our own hands, we only deepen the wound. But when we trust God, our presence becomes a salve that heals instead of a flame that destroys. Choosing peace in the face of hate isn’t weakness; it’s courage rooted in faith.
3. Prayer as Our First Response
The world may scoff at prayer. Some even pray for our harm. But Romans 12:12 says we are to be “devoted to prayer.”Paul urges us in 1 Timothy 2:1–2 to pray for all people, including rulers and leaders. And Jesus commands us, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
Prayer is not doing nothing. It is doing the most important thing first. It aligns us with God’s will. It calms our anger. And it shows others that, like Christ, we genuinely care. “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).
When violence shakes the world, prayer steadies our hearts. Before reacting, we must start praying. Pray for the hurting. Pray for the lost. Pray even for the one who causes pain, because Christ died for them too. That kind of prayer may soften hard hearts—including our own.
4. Overcome Evil with Good
Paul ends this section of Romans 12 with one of the simplest, most powerful commands: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
That is the white-pill perspective. Not naïve optimism, but living hope grounded in the resurrection of Christ (1 Peter 1:3). Evil can be answered—but never with more evil. Only with good.
- Barnabas encouraged where others doubted.
- The early church prayed when threatened.
- Jesus forgave even from the cross.
Evil feeds on anger, division, and despair. But evil starves when Christians love, forgive, and shine light in the darkness. This is the hard but hopeful way of Christ…to turn tragedy into an opportunity for testimony.
Conclusion: Which Pill Will We Take?
When tragedy strikes, the world will choose its pills. Some will stay blue-pilled, closing their eyes. Others will go red-pilled, awake but angry. Many will go black-pilled, drowning in despair.
But God calls us to be white-pilled: to live with hope, anchored in Christ.
Romans 12 shows us the way:
- Value every life.
- Reject destructive anger.
- Pray without ceasing.
- Overcome evil with good.
Hope is not just a perspective. Hope is a Person. His name is Jesus. And in Him, we have the strength to face violence without vengeance, grief without despair, and darkness without fear.
So what about you? When the next tragedy strikes, which pill will you swallow? The world offers denial, despair, or destruction. But Christ offers life, peace, and hope. Will you choose Him today?
